Santa Cruz Farmers Markets

The company was started in 1997 on a show string budget and immediately took off!

In 1946 Frank Gonzales returned from World War II and bought 10 acres of apricot trees in the Hollister area. He and his wife Mary Gonzales began farming in Hollister when they were married over 55 years ago. They raised three children on the 120 acre ranch. Frank and Mary's son, Gary Gonzales, returned from the Peace Corp in 1972 and began to work the apricot orchard with his father. He has now been managing it for decades. Until 1992 the family sent 60 tons of dried, unpacked fruit to two large wholesalers, Del Monte and Mayfair. When Turkish imports began to flood the market, they had to revision their business strategy. Apricot King began to sell at the farmers' markets, little ones in tow.

In 2024 Switch Bakery joined our circuit, rotating through various markets and introducing their exceptional gluten free products. Owners Amanda and Joshua had both been baking for over a decade and made a giant leap, SWITCHING up a whole host of things a couple of years back, to follow their dreams. Switches included leaving their day jobs to focus on the bakery, focusing on a regional market, committing to simple, organic and nutritious ingredients, making staple foods that were common sustenance in households decades ago.

Joshua and Amanda's angle on baked good came from necessity and, over time, became inspired by creativity, feeling good and meeting a need in communities. Joshua has crones disease - as a result the team transformed their kitchen ingredients into items helpful for nutrition, ease of digestion and gut health including farm eggs, rice flours, avocado, coconut and olive oil and butter.

Though they love and excel at pastries, Switch grew their savory line of items, working to make food that is fuel and that people feel good eating. Perhaps less fancy but still satisfying and providing the body with basic sustenance.

Switch is currently a team of two, Joshua and Amanda, and they do all of their baking in a commercial kitchen in Santa Cruz County. They run best with a four-person team and are hiring. Together they build a weekly menu playing off of seasonality and personal and world affairs. One of their most beloved items is a carrot bread, their flat breads highlight items in the market, Joshua often taking the lead from the Live Earth veggie box, and a current joy is a Palestinian-inspired bread.

With Switch Bakery as the central project of their household, no day jobs to float the, the team does have visions for growth. Joshua also has a background in helping businesses get off the ground and grow; he appreciates right-sized businesses. They are proceeding with caution and imagine certain products scaling up to meet regional needs while others stay small scale and accessible through direct sales. They hope to eventually have enough revenue that will grant them time fore creativity and connection in addition to the baking and selling grind. For now scaling up to the current demand is a goal in itself. They sell out at every market and have doubled their production in the last year.

Swich sells at the Downtown Market weekly and is in rotation every other Saturday at the Westside beginning February 1st. Check them out at market and ask about their order-in-advance and pick up at market options. They also do weekly bread subscriptions and provide a discount if you pick up at an SC Market. Amanda and Joshua didn't expect to love selling at farmers' markets but it has turned out to be a bright spot and a place for growth. We're all benefiting!